Illinois bans police tickets for student misbehavior at school

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Illinois has outlawed the practice of police ticketing students for minor misbehavior in schools. The new law, passed Wednesday, aims to end a practice that disproportionately affected students across the state.

Starting in the 2027-28 school year, all public ⁣schools, including charter schools, must report annually how⁢ often they involve police in student incidents.this data must be separated by race, ‍gender, and disability, and made available to the public.

The legislation follows a report that revealed thousands of Illinois students were ticketed‍ for typical adolescent behavior,such as littering,making noise,or vaping. Black students were reportedly ⁣twice as likely ⁣to be ticketed as their white peers.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford said the goal is to ensure schools use their own discipline ⁢policies for school code violations, rather than involving police. State Sen. karina Villa added that ticketing students fails to address the underlying causes of misbehavior.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the ban, arguing that officers should retain the option to issue citations for criminal conduct. They expressed concern that removing this option could ‍lead to more arrests and criminal charges.

The ⁢law passed the House 69-44 and the ⁣Senate 37-17. ⁣Gov. JB Pritzker, who has previously criticized ticketing students, ⁤is expected to review the bill.

While police can still‍ arrest ⁢students for crimes or violence, they cannot issue tickets for minor ordinance violations. Previous versions of the legislation lacked this distinction, causing concern that schools would be unable to involve police in serious matters.

aimee⁣ Galvin, with Stand for Children, said the bill ‍helps students learn from mistakes without being funneled into the justice system.

The report⁢ highlighted that students were often⁣ doubly penalized‍ with school discipline and police tickets. resolving these tickets involved a legal process designed for adults, with fines up to $750 and potential collection agency involvement.

Following the report’s publication, ⁤some districts stopped ticketing students, but the practice continued⁤ elsewhere.

The ‍new law also requires districts with school resource officers⁤ to establish agreements with local police, ⁢outlining officer roles and responsibilities.These agreements must prohibit ⁢officers from issuing citations on ‍school property and require training in working with students with disabilities.Truant students‍ also cannot be referred to police for ticketing.

A state attorney general investigation previously found that a large suburban Chicago district ⁤illegally exploited a loophole by asking police to ticket students, disproportionately affecting Black ⁤and Latino students. the attorney general declared the practice illegal.

What’s next

The governor’s review⁢ is the final step before the⁤ law takes ‍effect, setting ⁤the stage for⁤ new data collection and ⁣reporting requirements in the coming years.